Cover - Almost One Piece

After sufficient banging of head on keyboard, a bit of drooling, and some admittedly maniacal laughter I think I've almost got a basic One Piece instead of a bikini cover.

I managed to get pixels and DPI to spec, with only sporadic gibbering while the 4-y-o told me her story about the zombies in the forest trying to get Little Red's goodies [with repetitions for over an hour].Hopefully the ladies look like they just rolled off the assembly line.

Since I don't consider myself a graphic artist I went for an image that would nominally hint at a shared origin as well as purpose.Had I simply wished to produce an image intended to prompt young males to 'solitary meditation', I would have used variations on the image above, sans lingerie.

My point is I can do certain technical things, as I can learn others, but my 'art' apart from writing lies in physical works or artisanship, whether a piece of furniture or an edged weapon combining beauty of form with function, a ceramic piece, or cast bronze.

Supply me with metal and anvil and I can make hinges for you. Supply me with forge and a blend of precious metal and I can cast jewelry for you.

My other efforts at imagery are simply too crudely rough and as such do not qualify as art in a professional sense. I am well aware of my limitations.

In order to do those things you have to see a picture of them in your head? I know I and many others do. But very often they can also draw them, which is handy if other people then also have to make them.

Robots poo?! It was something I did many years ago, as an experiment in the use of shrink/enlarge copy and paste to gain perspective. What I discovered is one should start with a large image and always copy and shrink that, copying the large one to use for every line, otherwise one ends up with the closer ones being be very pixelated.

If you would like to experience the wrath of estrogen in the guise of my daughters, get your passport ready as I'm afraid they can't travel to the UK. Neither one of them is as nice as I am, likely because they know they can take down their prey while being cute in the process.

A heartfelt thank you to Ron Miller for taking a decent basic cover concept and making it work.Ron's touches remind me of cover art that graced work by Andre Norton [among others]; the kind of work that makes me feel like a kid.

If you would like to experience the wrath of estrogen in the guise of my daughters, get your passport ready as I'm afraid they can't travel to the UK. Neither one of them is as nice as I am, likely because they know they can take down their prey while being cute in the process.

As to the particulars of why my children can't visit the UK at this point in time, I will refer you to the offices of and / or assistants to E. A. M. Windsor, who may or may not reply as to why my children might find it rather fatal to visit ancestral haunts. I also cannot guarantee that querying Her office as to why my children might be persona non grata in the UK might not get you some attention you don't care for. Personally when it comes to matters of the past, I prefer certainty regarding some things, as did most of my predecessors.

Regarding the cover and finishing details thereof, I'm afraid a combination of arthritis and thirty pounds tugging my arm while I was trying not to make a bollux of things made my efforts look like a crayon drawing by an autistic child; a drawing that incidentally wound up on Lousy Book Covers. I also do try to learn from those with greater expertise in an area than mine. Call it a fetish if you will.

Nice work. It did immediately make me think of covers I've seen on very professional books in the past. Beginning and ending on a half-android conveys a sense of continuity into infinity. Definitely a Ron touch.

(You realize, of course, that we are now all on the edges of our seats wondering what you've done to so gravely offend Betty Saxe-Coburg Gota.)

Robots poo?! It was something I did many years ago, as an experiment in the use of shrink/enlarge copy and paste to gain perspective. What I discovered is one should start with a large image and always copy and shrink that, copying the large one to use for every line, otherwise one ends up with the closer ones being be very pixelated.

I think that it is the lack of a carrying angle that gives the tight-muscled intestinal-distress look. In normal humanoids, there is a distinct angle from the broader pelvis to the narrow knees. This makes it possible to take consecutive steps in a straight line, something that is extremely difficult for our primate cousins. Presumably, makers of androids would wish for them to walk like humans.

It's not anything I did personally, it's a situation Her House inherited from previous Houses, call it a FUBAR gift from the past if you will.

I had my first hint decades ago when I visited the War College at Ft Leavenworth. A British officer would have shot me on sight had he had his sidearm. One of his buddies waited while the guy walked off and apologized for him, saying I bore an uncanny resemblance to someone who had killed some of their comrades. I've never been to the UK, and I never forgot the looks of hatred I received that day.

One result of my encounter was I did start asking my parents questions about family history. There were a number of things they never discussed in front of us kids when we were growing up, and they were no more forthcoming when I was an adult. They didn't want us to feel like we were better or worse than anyone else, which kind of makes sense since we're simply different.

Fast forward a few decades, one parent dead and the other incapacitated, and the older relatives who could shed some light were also dead. While we haven't spoken much over the last forty years, my oldest brother began doing genealogical research, and in my own way I started digging. We both found some answers we wished we hadn't. Let's say sometimes you'd rather not have answers because they can become horrific. I once heard English history compared to a soap opera where more often than not bad behavior was rewarded and the most ruthless came out on top.

Nice work. It did immediately make me think of covers I've seen on very professional books in the past. Beginning and ending on a half-android conveys a sense of continuity into infinity. Definitely a Ron touch.

That was a Ron touch, with half-androids on either side of front and back covers.

What to do when "Chasing Silence" is ready is something to think about.

As to the particulars of why my children can't visit the UK at this point in time, I will refer you to the offices of and / or assistants to E. A. M. Windsor, who may or may not reply as to why my children might find it rather fatal to visit ancestral haunts. I also cannot guarantee that querying Her office as to why my children might be persona non grata in the UK might not get you some attention you don't care for. Personally when it comes to matters of the past, I prefer certainty regarding some things, as did most of my predecessors.

But I never asked you.

Regarding the cover and finishing details thereof, I'm afraid a combination of arthritis and thirty pounds tugging my arm while I was trying not to make a bollux of things made my efforts look like a crayon drawing by an autistic child; a drawing that incidentally wound up on Lousy Book Covers.

We all have our problems, but nevertheless carry on.

I also do try to learn from those with greater expertise in an area than mine.